Efficient and sustainable cows generate immediate benefits for both dairy farmers and society. Feed costs represent about 60% of all variable costs involved in milk production. Breeding for feed efficiency saves on average 10% on feed costs. In addition, efficient utilization of feed also has a positive impact on the environment as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and the use of scarce resources.
Watch a compilation of the webinar below.
Webinar: Feed efficiency demonstrated in practice
CRV introduced a unique breeding value for feed efficiency in December of 2020. In 2017, CRV became the first herd improvement organization to start large-scale measurement of the feed intake of dairy cows on five working farms with in total 2,000 lactating cows. The aim is to reduce the feed costs for milk production. We currently collect feed intake data from the five working farms and also from 5 research farms on a daily basis. Gerard Meerkerk owns one of the test farms and will share his insights on how to breed for feed efficiency.